The Second Time Around in El Nido, Palawan with Free Island Hopping Tour

I had beautiful memories here in El Nido, Palawan last year and this time I am truly alone. I stayed here for four days as the next day I had to go to Liminangcong to visit a friend. But still, I had a good time in El Nido as the locals were taking care of me.

Where to Stay in El Nido?

I went to El Nido without any bookings on where to stay so I just looked for it and landed at Austria’s Place. It is P400 per bed/per night with free breakfast. I wasn’t able to take photo of Austria’s Place but indeed it is clean. The place is good for backpackers.

Another place is at Hakuna Matata, it is always fully-booked so it’s good to reserve. Here, there are lots of backpackers and it’s P350 per bed/per night.

I arrived evening in El Nido so all I did was looking roaming around and looking for food. Then I happened to meet the couple with the same place I stayed in Puerto Princesa on the first three nights. We went to Pukka Reggae Bar and enjoyed the night listening to the music.

The Free Island Hopping Tour

The next day, I woke up and went to the beach with my laptop and my yoga mat. Locals came near to me, there was a lady who was trying to sell me some pearls, a tricycle driver who was trying to lure me with some tours and lastly, a man who happened to be one of the captains of some boats for the island hopping tour.

The boat captain asked me where I was from and he happened to speak the same language as mine, Cebuano. Then he invited me for an island excursion with his friends and family. Why not? Off we go and I left my laptop inside my room.

This was during the procession of St. Francis of Assisi for the annual festival from October 3-4, 2015.

Some of the islands we went are part of the Island Hopping Tour B. I was going to cry but I stopped myself. I was thinking how lucky I was for having this island hopping tour for free.

All photos taken from my iPad and I was too lazy to pull off my camera out of the bag. It was an amazing trip. One of the greatest things about solo backpacking is that I really don’t expect a lot and everything will come as a surprise!

6 thoughts on “The Second Time Around in El Nido, Palawan with Free Island Hopping Tour”

Ah, El Nido! This place is just magical! We spent our 2nd year anniversary here with my Sweetie. We’ll come back here next year (2016) to bring my pop and a few friends along. We’ll also check out some of their dive sites.

Hi Rox! Thanks for this post! I’m planning to go nomad for a couple of months outside of Manila and I wanted to do Palawan eventually! Question: I know this was some years ago, but how was the internet in El Nido? Is it fit for nomading, or should Puerto Prinsesa be the base on workdays? Thanks!